


Who Needs Love When I Have You?

by bjfic_archivist



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Canon, Fluff, Points of View, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-08-13
Updated: 2004-08-13
Packaged: 2018-12-27 00:33:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12070122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bjfic_archivist/pseuds/bjfic_archivist
Summary: It's Valentine's Day and Brian is dead set on not doing anything...





	Who Needs Love When I Have You?

**Author's Note:**

> Note from IrishCaelan, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Brian_Justin_Fanfiction_Archive). To preserve the archive, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in September 2017. I posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [The Brian/Justin Fanfiction Archive collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/bjfic/profile).

\+ Brian’s pov +

“I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

I turn and arch an eyebrow at him. Who said anything about wanting to talk? I had merely entered the room, sat down on the bed, and taken off my shoes and he tells me that he doesn’t want to talk.

So… he doesn’t want to talk.

“Well, then… I’ll continue on with my life like I was planning to do anyway.”

So I get up and start towards the kitchen when he stops me.

“Do you even know what day tomorrow is?”

I think for a moment. “Yeah, Thursday the fourteenth. I get paid the day after tomorrow.”

And then I make to leave again. This time he shoots out from under the covers he’s been talking to me through and looks at my face searchingly before sighing and plodding back to bed, where he pulls the sheets over his head. I watch all this dispassionately. Since it seemed he didn’t want to see me at the moment, I continued on to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and then go on my date with the treadmill.

I glance at my watch.

“I hope you realize you only have about six more minutes of being a drama princess before your allotted time and my patience runs out.”

I heard a muffled curse and my grin turns deciededly bigger and more evil.

Of course I know what tomorrow is. It’s one of the most commercialized holidays out there… aside from Christmas. I should know… I’ve exploited it for years now.

Valentine’s Day.

I grinned evilly at nothing in particular. If only Justin knew what I had in store for him. If he’s not pleased, well… it’s his fault entirely for getting his hopes up. No, that’s not fair. It’s not his fault. It’s Josh’s fault.

This all started a few days ago, Monday, when Josh came into the picture.

\+ flash back +

MONDAY

I walk into the diner to see Justin chatting up a guy by the counter, talking animatedly with a coffee pot in one hand and the other one gesturing in the air.

“A cup of coffee,” I say, interrupting them. Justin gives me a withering look before finishing his conversation with the new guy.

I give him the withering look back… to the back of his head (the coward) and turn to Debbie.

“Do you pay him to talk?”

She gave me a look too and went back to counting the money in the cash register.

By this point, I just about had had it. Being ignored wasn’t something that I took kindly to. Justin must have picked up on this because he turned midsentence and gestured towards me. 

“Brian, this is Josh. He just started today.”

I gave him the “I don’t care, give me my coffee” look, which Justin rolled his eyes at. He turned to the… cute as fuck blond behind him.

“He’s not a morning person.”

I sneered at this comment and turned back to the newspaper in my hand. Justin merely laughed and slid me a cup of coffee.

“Anything else?”

“No.”

With that he was back to talking to the other blond. Ted and Emmett came in at this point… which proceeded to make my day into an even bigger hell.

“Well, if it isn’t Mr. Kinney,” Emmett said cheerily as he and Ted slid onto the stools, one on either side of me.

I gave them a look (feeling rather triumphant at being able to finally give a look to someone who would appreciate it.)

It was Emmett who would be the lovely victim. “Well! Who pissed in your coffee this morning?”

“A certain blond twink, I believe,” Ted answered him, at which Em giggles.

I paid for my coffee before I would be forced to kill someone, left Justin a hefty tip, and picked up my gloves from off the counter.

Justin leaned against the counter watching me pull my gloves on. “Are you picking me up for lunch?”

I nodded and picked up my newspaper. “Twelve sharp and you better be ready or I’m going out to lunch without you.”

He gave me a dramatic sigh and pocketed my tip before wiping the counter where I had just been. I gave Emmett and Ted a look of parting and grabbed Mikey just as he was coming in through the door.

“And you’re having breakfast with me.”

He stumbled along beside me, trying to right himself. “You could have just asked.”

I smiled at him and slung my arm around his shoulders. “But dragging you out of the diner was so much more… dramatic.”

He snorted that the comment. “And you call Justin a drama queen.”

I decided to let the comment slide. “Where do you want to eat?”

“I was actually going to the diner to talk to my mom. Ben and I already ate,” he said grinning at me.

I rolled my eyes at him. “So fucking what? Where do you want to eat?”

So we ended up having breakfast at a small street side café a few blocks down Liberty Ave. I went to work, Mikey went back to the diner, and I thought nothing of the morning until… lunch.

I pulled up to the front of the diner and sat in the car for a few seconds.

No Justin.

Honked the horn.

No Justin.

Finally, the blond waiter ran out to the car, leaning against the open window. He flashed a smile at me.

“Justin’s kind of tied up right now. There’s been… an accident,” he said and ran back in after giving me one more smile.

I sighed and shut off the engine to enter and rescue Boy Wonder before my lunch hour was up. I enter to see Justin helping one of the waiters towards the door, Debbie trailing behind, pulling on bright purple gloves to match her enormous gold ski jacket and red ear muffs with orange stretch pants. I had to look away before going blind.

Justin transferred his patient to the other blond twink… what the fuck was his name? 

“Brian, I called your office like fifty times and you weren’t answering your cell.”

“I was in a meeting,” I said eyeing Debbie warily as she smiled and patted my cheek as she passed by me. “What the fuck happened here?”

“Gavin’s got food poisoning… we think,” Justin said pointing to a pink spot on his apron.

“Fuck, do not tell me that is what I think it is.”

He looked at me confused before breaking out in a grin. “No, it isn’t. It was the pink plate special. You’re so prissy.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Because I don’t want vomit on myself doesn’t mean I’m prissy. Now get your shit together, I have to be back at the office in forty minutes.”

He shook his head at me. “Sorry, but I can’t. Since I don’t have class today and Josh’s shift is over, I have to stay to watch the diner until Deb gets back. But stay, we could eat here. I could just have Josh wait tables until he has to leave.”

I wrinkled my nose at his suggestion, but sat down in one of the empty booths anyway. “Turkey sandwich, no-“

“Mayo, no cheese, yes to mustard, on rye. I know,” he said laughing and went behind the counter.

Stupid twat… thinks he knows me.

…

So what if he knows what I want on my sandwich.

…

I’m NOT getting domesticated.

“Brian, we’re out of rye, is white okay?”

“Unless you’re going to work the extra twenty minutes on the treadmill, no.”

He gave me a look before turning back around. “White it is.”

He came to where I was sitting a few minutes later with my white shit sandwich and a collossal burger-and-fries = a-massive-cardiac-arrest lunch for himself.

I glared at him. “What the fuck is this?”

He smiled back. “Your lunch.”

“I’m not eating this.”

“Fuck, Brian, two slices of white bread aren’t going to make you fat.”

I glared at him. “Who said it was because I was going to get fat?”

Okay, so it was, and Justin’s eye rolling would attest to him not buying my bullshit, but by now it was the principal of the thing. So as we sat, having our spat about white bread, Josh’s boyfriend makes his entrance.

He’s this twenty something year old with brown hair and brown eyes… fuckable. He slides over to where Josh is taking an order, wraps in him in a hug, and places a kiss on his mouth. Snuggling against, him he asks how his day was, how work was, and if he was missed because he missed Josh “like crazy”.

I turned to Justin to say a snide comment I thought he would appreciate with his new perspective on boyfriends (and his supposed break from them). Only, I see him watching them avidly with that look on his face that I hadn’t seen in a couple months.

But it was back.

Fuck.

He noticed me watching him and the look disappeared. He threw me a half smile and took two huge bites of his burger. 

“Looks like I have to get back on shift,” he said around a mouthful of food. “Sorry we couldn’t go out today. Tomorrow?”

And with that he was gone. I glanced at my watch. Oh well, I had to leave in ten minutes anyway. I gestured towards him.

“Put this in a box.”

He did and I paid for my lunch, leaving him another hefty tip and left the sight of Justin, Josh, and Mr. Wonder Boyfriend talking.

It spelled trouble and fuck if I wasn’t right.

I arrived at the loft late. There was a new client on the loose and Vance was busting my balls to get it. So instead of leaving it to anyone else, he assigned it to me personally. I half toyed with the idea of leaving it to the twins, but that would just give Vance another excuse to chew me out, and listening to his bullshit wasn’t very high on my list of priorities.

Justin was sprawled out on the chair in front of the TV, asleep. I switched off the TV and went to get changed, when he started waking up.

“Brian?”

“Expecting someone else?”

“Yeah, my prince charming.”

I smirk at his sarcasm and begin disrobing in the bedroom. I see him pull himself up the steps and towards me.

“But you’ll do,” he said giving me a smile.

“Sorry, not interested in sloppy seconds,” I retort back, letting him help me get my shirt off.

”Sorry we couldn’t do lunch today.”

I shrugged. “Next time.”

“You know what Josh and Adam are doing tonight?”

I headed towards the shower, pleased he followed, pulling off clothes along the way. “I don’t give a shit.”

“They’re going out to dinner and a movie. Josh asked if we’d like to join them.”

I laughed outright at this. “A double date?”

“No, a get together with friends.”

“No, a double date.”

“How can it be a double date if we’re not in a relationship, Brian?”

I smiled at him, feeling fucking proud of him. He smiled back and slid into the shower with me. After a hot bout in the shower, we decided to descend upon the boys at Babylon when a phone call came for Justin.

A few minutes later, he came back to where I was getting dressed, looking dour again. “It was Josh saying they decided they were staying in tonight. Friday’s their four year anniversary and they wanted to celebrate tonight and tomorrow and the day after.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “Well good for them. We’re going out.”

He sighed and nodded.

Fuck.

“Do you know what day it is?”

I glanced at him wondering what the fuck he was cooking up. “Monday, the eleventh. Why?”

“Just wondering. … So… Thursday is the fourteenth… of February?”

Fuck… FUCK.

“Yes, it would be. Now will you hurry the fuck up.”

He sighed and went to change. I watched him as I finished touching up my outfit, trying to quell the sudden panic at his equally sudden interest in Valentine’s Day. This interest could only mean one of two things. One: he wants something ridiculously romantic done. Fuck if I’m ever going to stoop to that. Two: he wants a complicated relationship. I don’t want a complicated relationship. Fuck, I’m just coming to terms that I’m IN a relationship and how long as it been?

Exactly.

So these two options were clearly not where I’d like to find myself on a perfectly good Monday night.

He comes to stand next to me, checking out his reflection and primping. I have to crack a small smile at him as his eyes meet mine in the mirror and I nudge him with my left elbow. He smiles that special Sunshine Smile just for me and finishes buttoning his pants and smoothes his shirt over his torso. He eats like a fucking pig and he’s still thinner than I am.

I move away from watching him preen, before I do something I regret. … Like agreeing to doing something for Valentine’s Day or worse… say that I loved him.

I pick up my wallet and keys and turn back to where he’s fixing his hair. “Ready, your highness?”

He rolls his eyes and walked down the steps towards the door. “Please, I’m no more princess than you.”

I smirk at him as I slide the door shut behind us and lock it. “No, I’m the charming prince, remember?”

“I think you gave up that position at the diner when you complained of food stains and white bread. I think that pretty much qualifies you for princess-hood.”

“That’s not even a word.”

“Or maybe that makes you a full fledged queen.”

“Twat.”

He laughs at this as he finishes pulling on his coat and then moving on to put on his scarf. “Good come back, Brian. I’ll have to file that one away for next time.”

It’s times like these that I’m not sure if taking him back is worth the hassle… or the annoyance or the pestering or the incessant talking or… that smile he saves just for me or the company or the hot sex. Though I can’t help but admit that these times are better than that God awful time he wasn’t here to annoy me.

\+ TUESDAY +

The next day, I saw Justin seated in a booth with the boys, talking earnestly with Emmett. Fear gripped me and I didn’t like it. I was suddenly tempted to tell him that I knew it was Valentine’s Day and yes, I had nothing planned for it because I was NOT going to give in to Hallmark’s whore of a holiday just so we could be another faggot couple desperately trying to pretend that we were straight. And he could be the good little wife and me, the good husband and we could have a candlelight dinner with wine and a fire in my nonexistant fireplace then fuck. Although the end result is tempting, it’s the rest of it that makes me nauseous. I mean isn’t that what Valentine’s Day is all about? Fucking?

As they seem rather engrossed in their conversation, I walk inconspicuously to the counter and seat myself on the nearest stool.

“So Teddy says that it’s all going to be a surprise, but to get a suitcase packed. Now sweetheart, I don’t know about you, but that’s as good as telling me he rented that cabin in the woods we were talking about renting for months. I don’t know if I should play along or just tell him to stop trying be mysterious.”

“I’d pack… but then I’d just pack a cuitcase full of condoms,” I hear Justin say.

I feel a twinge of pride. That… was so what I would have said.

“Sweetie, I think you’re spending too much time with Brian.” Emmett smiles and ruffles his hair. “Mikey, what are you and the professor up to for Valentine’s Day?”

Mikey shrugs, but the smile he has says it all. My Valentine’s Day fantasy is his reality. I shudder at the thought. Then he turns to Justin as they all share a laugh.

“So Justin, what are you and Brian up to?”

I see Emmett give him a swift kick on the shin under the table and I bristle at his cloying tone. That was a low blow… the kind of thing that makes me want to shock them all with something amazing. I am, afterall the queen of drama.

“Oh, nothing. I don’t need anything for Valentine’s Day to know he loves me… as much as he denies it. Besides, who wants to celebrate a fucked up holiday like Valentine’s Day? I don’t need candy and flowers. I had that before and … I don’t want to go back there again.”

“What the fuck are you doing, Kinney? Eavesdropping?”

I look up and grin at Debbie, who’s looking at me expectantly. I shrug and order a toasted wheat bagel with nothing on it.

”You’re too thin. I’ll get you one with nice big globs of whipped cream cheese.”

At this point, Justin notices me and comes around the counter to take the order from Deb. He grins at her, then at me.

“He’ll never eat it, you know.”

“What makes you think I won’t?”

His eyes brighten at this. “So you will?”

“Fuck no, I don’t need the dairy fat, thanks.”

He nods at Debbie. “Told you, he wouldn’t.”

“Oh for fucksakes, just give me my damn bagel… THAT I ORDERED.”

Josh comes in at this point and grabs Justin around the waist to press a kiss to his cheek. I watch on, looking more than a little amused.

“You’re in a good mood this morning,” Justin says, looking too smiley for my liking.

“Well Adam was… amazing. He somehow got us into the observatory after they closed and we made love under the stars after this incredible picnic. God… sometimes I don’t know what I did to deserve someone like him.”

I snort at this, which causes them to turn their attention back to me. Justin gives me a weary look.

“Yeah, I know how you feel. Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve this,” he said with a jerk of his thumb in my direction.

“Because I’m so wonderful and amazing,” I say and pay for the bagel that I ordered, but never received, left Justin’s large tip, and left with a briefcase in one hand, and my coat in the other.

I knew what I was going to do for Valentine’s Day.

\+ present – Wednesday +

So as you can see, if Josh had never come into our lives then Justin would never have gotten this crazy notion about having to do anything for Valentine’s Day. And it’s completely Mikey’s fault for making me dead set on proving everyone, especially Justin, wrong.

After his allotted 10 minutes of drama princess dramatics are over, I see him descend the steps and towards the kitchen. He looks through the refridgerator only to come back to where I’m still on the treadmill and declares, “I’m hungry.”

I watch him as I continue jogging, wondering slightly at the sudden departure of Justin’s queenie display moments before. “So? Get something from the fridge then.”

He heaves a sigh at me. “As filling as poppers and Evian are, I’d like to eat.”

“There are leftovers.”

“And I sure as hell don’t want to eat your no meat, no fat Vietnamese noodle shit from your lunch with Vance last Thursday.”

“It’s still good.”

“Then you eat it.”

I smirk at him as he pouts at me. I stop the treadmill and leer at him. “I’d rather eat you.”

His pout immediately turns into an evil smirk. “Well too bad for you, Mr. I-won’t-feed-Justin because I’m going out to eat with Daphne since you won’t get take out.”

Twat.

I let him go, much to my annoyance. I’m half tempted to forget my plans for tomorrow.

Almost.

***  
\+ Thursday +

I wake up to Justin shaking me awake ferociously.

“Shit! Brian! It’s 9! You’re late! Wake the fuck up!”

I merely roll away from his annoying shaking. “I called in sick,” I mumble from my pillow.

He reaches out tentatively. “Are… you?”

“No. Just didn’t feel like going in today.”

I could feel him loosen up and crawl out of bed. He leans over to peck my cheek before leaving me completely.

“I’m going to take a shower.”

I grin to myself as he makes his way to the bathroom. I hear the door shut. He’ll be staring at the mirror, checking out the peach fuzz he calls stubble, then run a hand through his hair. Then, he’ll look down to turn on the water in the sink to brush his teeth. Then he’ll see the little kid’s Valentine’s Day card with one of those cheesy heart candies sitting on top. And the door will open in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1….

“Brian?”

I smirk and roll onto my back, looking as sleepy as I can. “What the fuck do you want?”

He smiles at me and holds up the card. “Thanks.”

I smile back. “That the best you can do?”

He crawls along the bed towards me, kissing me briefly, then looks at me for a moment before smiling that special smile of his – just for me.

“You mean what you wrote?”

I stifle a yawn. “One day of complete boyfriend behavior from myself, no strings attached, no sarcasm, no bad attitude. I think I was pretty clear on the valentine.”

He laughed and grinned and smiled hugely at me, looking completely beside himself. “You know what?”

“Huh.”

“Who needs love when I have you?”


End file.
